Corticosteroids

Tapering Guidance

There are many tapering regimes for prednisone and there is no evidence favoring one over another. Here is one suggested approach.

If used for longer than 3-4 weeks

• Reduce dose by prednisone equivalent of 5mg/week until 10 mg/day prednisone equivalent is reached
• Subsequent doses should be decreased by 2.5mg/week until the medication is stopped
• If withdrawal symptoms occur, increase the dosage and taper at 1mg/week

Withdrawal Symptoms and Monitoring Guidance

• Disease exacerbation, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, lack of energy, headache, dizziness, joint pain, low blood pressure, elevated temperature